Eldritch Horror Theatre

The Back Room was simply the classroom in the back. That made perfect sense.

Language really was better when it was kept simple and straightforward.

As it turned out, Fu Qian's work ethic had left the researchers behind the door rather shaken.

After a moment of silence, they only offered directions once he knocked on the door a second time.

Fortunately, their instructions were simple and clear: "Go to the back and find the largest room."

Given the nature of the facility, Fu Qian naturally pictured a Tiered Lecture Hall.

Operating on that assumption, he easily deduced its probable location.

It took little effort before he stood in front of an even taller set of doors.

Along the way, every door he passed had been shut tight, and not a single person had spoken up to greet him.

And what about the learning environment?

He didn't even need to open the doors; he could already hear faint murmurs from within.

As expected, the thrill of discovering knowledge and the pleasure of receiving it simply could not be mentioned in the same breath.

Sighing inwardly as he recalled his own school days, Fu Qian found it perfectly understandable.

Taking a moment to straighten his clothes, he made sure he gave off the imposing aura of a dean of discipline before reaching out to undo the chains securing the entrance.

...

That was right—not only was the entrance much larger, but it was bound by thick coils of chain. Their staggering size and weight instantly filled him with anticipation for whatever lay beyond.

Excellent. Unruly students required strict supervision, after all.

Nodding to himself before he even pushed the doors open, Fu Qian slipped even more naturally into his persona as the dean of discipline.

Handling heavy burdens with effortless ease, he skillfully undid the chains without making a single sound, ensuring the students inside wouldn't be alerted too early.

Creaaak—

Unfortunately, the quality of the door hinges left much to be desired. His stealth operation ended the moment he pushed them open.

The scrape wasn't overly loud, but it was enough for any sharp-eared youth to notice, and it sounded practically deafening against the surrounding silence.

'Hmph, insignificant skill.'

But how could a minor setback like that stump Fu Qian? At that exact moment, he activated the Stride of the Dean of Discipline, slipping past the doors like a phantom.

It really was a Tiered Lecture Hall? Then he had definitely found the right place.

The scene that greeted him was quite satisfactory.

Solemn and majestic, staggering in scale, and rising tier by tier—it undoubtedly matched all the characteristics he had envisioned.

Except, perhaps, for the rather exaggerated height between each tier.

Fu Qian felt a profound sense of déjà vu, as though he were standing at the very top of an ancient Colosseum.

Arranged in concentric rings that spiraled downward layer after layer, it was clearly a space of staggering depth.

A seemingly familiar sight.

Amid his musings, Fu Qian easily spotted a familiar object down below—a massive Twelve-Faced Hourglass.

So this really was the site of the previous fall point? By comparison, the level of destruction he had seen back then was a bit staggering.

Furthermore, no matter how you looked at it, this was clearly the core of the entire facility. It made perfect sense why so many Brain Jellyfish had gathered inside it back then.

As for the Multi-Faced Hourglass, it was obviously some sort of symbol for this research institution.

Seeing it on its own previously hadn't left much of an impression, but situated right here, complemented by the grand layout of its surroundings, it provided a striking, illuminating sense of completion.

Vortexes, galaxies, Ecstasy, The Abyss... together, they outlined an endless array of transformations.

The beginning of the world, and the end of the Transcendent Tier?

As expected, one could never underestimate the heroes of this world.

Taking it all in, Fu Qian couldn't help but sigh softly at the thought of the facility's past glory.

When those young Stargazers gazed upward at a forty-five-degree angle, what kind of profound wisdom had surged through their minds—

Gur... gle...

Amid his surging inspiration, a rather untimely sound interrupted his thoughts.

Indistinct and muffled, it sounded like the low growl of a beast rolling from a throat, yet also like an uncontrollable, feverish whisper.

Following the sound, Fu Qian easily zeroed in on a figure sitting deep within the room.

Dressed much like the receptionist from earlier, the figure sat with its back to him and its head bowed low, seemingly fast asleep.

...

'Insolent junior, how dare you?'

Not only was it a human, but the noise proved they were still alive.

Finding a fellow human in a place like this should theoretically have been a comforting discovery. But at that moment, Fu Qian's wrath as the dean of discipline flowed forth like an endless, surging river.

It was one thing for the students to be whispering earlier, but to flat-out ignore the very obvious warning of the heavy doors groaning open?

'Which class are you from?'

Moving like a phantom once more, Fu Qian appeared right behind his target the very next second.

'Oh? They aren't sleeping?'

...

In fact, their eyes were wide open.

From this angle, he could see everything clearly. Not only did the figure possess a fully human physique, but its facial features were deeply defined—so much so that, for a student, this person looked far too old.

Furthermore, their muscles were violently taut, and their bulging eyes were locked entirely on the floor below.

Right where the Twelve-Faced Hourglass was located.

Was this The Thinker? Had they suddenly begun to comprehend the secrets of the universe in the middle of evening study hall, losing all self-control in the process?

Such a sight obviously couldn't be dismissed as a student merely slacking off in class. For a moment, Fu Qian thought he grasped the individual's current condition.

Especially since he himself had just been staring at that exact same spot, letting his imagination run wild.

Gur... gle...

Even that strange gurgling sound continued. Paired with their crazed expression, it was entirely plausible that their brain was operating in such overdrive that their very throat was twitching from the sheer euphoria.

He could almost picture it: an intellect that had reached Sublimation was on the verge of helping this mortal shell cast off its worldly restraints—Knock, knock!

A crisp rap echoed out as Fu Qian knocked his knuckles against the desk next to the figure.

No matter what they were comprehending, spacing out in class was strictly forbidden.

The dean of discipline was standing right beside them, yet they dared to give no reaction?

Such blatant disrespect for a teacher required some immediate, firm guidance.

Hmm...

This time, the intervention finally seemed to work. Those bulging eyes jerked with painstaking slowness, twitching bit by bit to look in his direction.

Huu...

Yet their hands remained raised, and the sounds emanating from their throat grew even more frantic, sounding like a mixture of Suffocation and an uncontrollable urge to explode.

"Have you seen a set of dropped notes around here?"

But since when was a dean of discipline intimidated by a bad attitude? Fu Qian coldly sneered and cut straight to the point.

Crack, craaack...

Unfortunately, this student truly was unruly. Not only did they refuse to answer, but an even stranger sound erupted from their shoulders and neck. Their body twisted into an unnatural, inhuman contortion, as if they were poised to cross some forbidden threshold at any moment.

Thud—

In the end, the youth's rebellious streak was met with a swift blow to the head.

Fu Qian now gripped a forearm-length Handbell, bringing it down sternly against their skull.

'Calm yourself down.'

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